How to Withdraw Cash from an ATM Using a QR Code in Your Bank App (No Card Needed)

How to Withdraw Cash from an ATM Using a QR Code in Your Bank App — No Card Needed

Are you on your way to the ATM, but you left your card at home? Do not worry. If you have your bank's app installed on your phone, you can withdraw cash even without a plastic card. Instead of a card, the ATM will "read" a special picture — a QR code — straight from your phone's screen. This is no harder than withdrawing money with a regular card. We will go through every step together, slowly and in detail. There is nothing you can break here — if you tap the wrong thing, simply go back to the previous screen and try again.

What is a QR code?

A QR code is a square picture made of small black and white squares, a little like a tiny maze. A camera on the ATM, or the camera on your phone, can "read" this picture in a second and understand the information hidden inside it. In this case, the QR code carries permission to release cash from your account — taking the place of a card with a chip.

Such a code works for only a very short time, usually a few minutes, and then it disappears on its own. This is done for your safety: even if someone happens to see the code on your screen, they will not have time to use it.

What you will need beforehand

• A phone with your bank's app installed, where you are already logged in.
• An internet connection — mobile data or Wi-Fi.
• An ATM belonging to your bank, or an ATM that supports cardless withdrawal by QR code — there is usually a sign or a small QR code icon on the ATM screen for this.

You do not need your card for this at all — that is exactly why this method is so useful if you left it at home.

Step by step: how to generate a QR code in your app

1. Walk up to your bank's ATM, but do not touch the ATM screen yet.
2. Unlock your phone the way you usually do.
3. Find the coloured icon of your bank's app on your phone's screen and tap it once with your finger.
4. If the app asks you to log in, enter your access code (the app's PIN), or confirm with your fingerprint or face if that is set up.
5. On the app's main screen, look for words such as "Cardless Withdrawal" or "Withdraw by QR Code" — there is often a small square-picture icon next to them.
6. Tap those words once with your finger.
7. Enter the amount of money you want to withdraw using the number pad on the screen.
8. Tap the blue or green "Next" or "Generate Code" button.
9. Wait a few seconds — a square black-and-white picture will appear on your phone's screen. This is your QR code.

Step by step: how to withdraw the cash at the ATM

1. On the ATM screen, look for the words "Cardless Withdrawal" or a QR code icon — usually a small square in the corner of the screen.
2. Tap those words on the ATM screen.
3. The ATM will show you a small window or frame with a camera — this is where you need to hold your phone.
4. Hold your phone so that the QR code on its screen faces the ATM's camera, at roughly the distance of your palm.
5. Hold the phone still for a few seconds, until the ATM "sees" and accepts the code — usually you will hear a short beep or see a checkmark appear.
6. When the ATM asks, enter the app's PIN or the confirmation code that was sent to your phone, using the ATM keypad.
7. Wait while the ATM processes the transaction — the screen will show "Please wait" or something similar.
8. Take the cash from the ATM's tray once it appears.
9. Take your receipt if you need one.
10. Put the money in your wallet before you step away from the ATM.

That is all. You have successfully withdrawn cash without even taking your card from home.

Warning: how to recognise QR-code fraud

Scammers know that people like new, convenient ways of doing things, and they try to take advantage of that. Here is a typical trick: someone calls you, says they work for the bank, and tells you there is "suspicious activity" on your account. They ask you to immediately open the app, generate a QR code for a cash withdrawal, and read them the code or the numbers on the screen "to verify your identity".

This is always a scam. A real bank never calls to ask you to generate a QR code, or to read out a confirmation code or any numbers from your phone screen. There is no legitimate reason a bank employee would ever need your code.

If someone calls and asks for anything like this, hang up the phone. Then call your bank yourself, using the number printed on the back of your card. Never call a number that was read out to you over the phone or sent to you by text message.

What to do if something goes wrong

If the ATM screen or the app looks a little different from what is described here, do not worry. Banks sometimes change how their screens look. Look for similar words: "cardless", "QR code", "generate code".

• If the ATM camera does not see the code, move your phone slightly further away or closer, until the code fits inside the frame.
• If the QR code disappears from your phone screen, go back one step in the app and generate a new one — it only takes a minute.
• If the ATM "freezes" or does not release your cash, do not walk away from it. Call the bank's helpline number, shown on the ATM itself or on your card.
• If the money did not appear but was deducted from your account, call your bank right away, while you are still standing at the ATM. This helps sort out the situation faster.

And remember the golden rule: never, under any circumstances, read out a confirmation code or a QR code from your screen to anyone over the phone — even if the caller says they work for the bank.

Summary — the steps to remember

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